The Doppler On Wheels and CSWR Surface Observational Facility

CSWR operates The Doppler On Wheels (DOW) mobile radars, mobile mesonets, and deployable instrumentation as an NSF Lower Atmospheric Observing Facility. Two DOWs are dual-polarization, dual-frequency fast scanning systems, and one is a multiple-beam multiple-frequency rapid-scan passive phased array system capable of volumetric scanning at 7 s intervals. The dual-polarization systems have recently been upgraded using Pentek processors and record full time series in all channels. During the past two years, DOWs have been deployed for the ASCII snow study, deployed at 3,000 m ASL at Battle Pass, Wyoming, for fire-scar flooding observations at Bristol Head, Colorado, 3,780 m ASL, and in Hawaii, New Hampshire, Illinois, New York, Nebraska, Florida, and elsewhere for educational purposes, as well as in the ROTATE tornado structure study, and to the landfall of Hurricane Isaac (2012). DOWs will play a central role in the upcoming Plains Elevated Convection At Night (PECAN) project in 2015, and have been requested for the several upcoming research campaigns.

The capabilities of the DOW network and examples of products will be described, as well as recent upgrades to platforms, antennas, and other systems.